The Void Blade
by agnibr
Summary: The Doctor'd Children go back in time and help help him with during that Christmas with the Master. They barely help him another enemy shows up seeking revenge.
1. Chapter 1

Ok. Those first two Chapter are same from my** Happy New Year,** since they both belong to the larger fic. The third is an alternative development from my New Year 2-1 and on chapter s. . In this version, the New Year event was a fixed point in time,The Doctor's Children try to help the him but couldn't help the Doctor then and things turn into different events- they returned to the time of the the Master 'S Christmas to help.

* * *

><p>Cardiff Millennium Center Halloween Eve<p>

A trio walked hurriedly by Millennium Plaza, in Cardiff, Wales. Winds were picking up and the sky was crackling with thunderbolts.

"Hurry up, guys. A storm is picking up. Just a small run and we will be warm and cozy inside Torchwood." Mickey waved to his friends with one hand while the other held his coat zipper closer to his body.

"Good. I could use some heating. I'm beat." Martha pulled her leather jacket closer to her body as well.

Mickey stopped by the lampposts at the Plaza and stared at them and at the empty center.

Jack stopped by his side. Wind blew his military long cape like it wanted to rip it from him by force and messed his black hair wildly.

"Mickey…."

"I know Jack! He is not coming back. Martha and I saw how he was like, when he saved us from that Sontaran. He didn't even come close enough to say hi." Grief covered Mickey's eyes.

"He was saying good bye, Jack. He was dying. I know him. He never liked endings." Martha had grief in her eyes as well. Her voice was coarse. "It hurts. Hurts so much, like I never thought it would. He doesn't even have a grave we could visit and feel closer to him when the loss get too unbearable."

"He wouldn't want that, Martha, to stay in just one place, for us to cry over his tomb if he ever had one. He would want us to have a fantastic life. Besides we know he can regenerate. Maybe he's somewhere up there." Jack looked toward the heavens. " And we will meet him in our timeline."

"No. Jack. This time there was something different. I felt it. You saw him regenerate. Did he mind being so far away when he changed? Would he leave without even saying hello?"

Jack shook his head. "He would stay at a distance safe enough for his exploding body to hit us. But you are right. He would not stay that far from us. Last time I saw him , he was at the bar door I usually go to. He didn't come to see me. The barman gave me a note he had sent. He stood there just long enough for me to know it was him who sent the note and then he left."

"See? It's not like him, Jack. He always was the first to hug us when he knew we were down, to have a friendly, encouraging word, to try find out what problem was and do everything to help. For him NOT to have done those things can only means he was in serious trouble, not just any regular regeneration. I fear it was his last one and he knew it. He did so much for us and we couldn't even help him in his last moments."

Mickey hugged her tightly. "Makes sense. He wouldn't stay far away and leave just because of a regeneration."

Jack smiled. "Cheer up, guys. He wouldn't want to see us crying for him. Let's remember the good times." He looked at the Plaza. "Those had been fun times, no doubt. We had a blast. I wonder how that Slitheen is doing- if she found a decent new family."

"I thought the Doctor and you guys had taken care of that." Mickey looked at Jack, puzzled.

" We put her into a hatchery. We can only pray a decent family has adopted her. It's not as if we handed her directly into the hands of a Raxacoricofallapatorian family."

"I thought that was the kind of thing the Doctor would have done." Martha protested. "He would make sure her mistakes were not repeated."

She felt better recalling her friend's energy. It was like somehow he was wrapping her with his own regenerating energy and boosting her spirits up.

"But he didn't break planets customs. People in don't knock on each "Raxacoricofallapatorious other doors and hand eggs to families at chance. They have hatcheries for such situations."

"You do like pronouncing this unpronounceable noun, don't you Jack?" She teased.

"Its fun!" He gave a big grin.

"Life with the Doctor was like an addiction. It took you to heaven and hell, but we just couldn't drop it, could we?" Jack smiled. " Things are boring here without him."

"Boring? We almost became alien supper Jack" Martha protested.

"Occupational hazards. It's part of the job. That Crickaton was small stuff. Not even close to a Dalek or a Weeping Angel. Man, the Doctor always got the best of the space stuff!"

Mickey and Martha looked at each other. *_He's insane! Missing encountering a Dalek or a Weeping Angel?*_

Martha crossed her arms to her chest protectively.

"But of us all you are the only one can meet him again! Anytime you want!" Mike emphasized the_ anytime_. "Don't you meet them in another timeline, now and then?"

"I wish! " Jack laughed well humoredly. "But that little bastard disabled my temporal vortex bracelet last time we met. He didn't trust me traveling in time."

"Gee. I wonder WHY. " Martha teased. "I guess he didn't want you going around _genociding_ entire races."

"You talk like I was some race purist, Martha that could not stand another life form!" he had genuine hurt in his voice.

"You don't have race superiority issues, Jack. I'll give you that. But you are not very forgiving either. Since we started working with you, you've exterminated so many aliens that the Doctor would have your hide!"

"They were threats, Martha!" Jack snarled annoyed.

"And _some _could have adjusted to live among humans if you just had given them another opportunity."

" Martha does have a lot of Rose speech. She would certainly have told me the same thing."

Mike chuckled again. "No doubt on that either."

"Rose and Donna had much more sense than you guys! I was honored to meet her, even under such harsh circumstances."

Jack walked toward the water fountain tower in the plaza. "Lets get inside. "Martha and Mickey followed him.

Martha was shaking. "I'm freezing here. I'm dying for a cup of hot tea, dry clothes and a bed..."

Jack turned to Martha at her last comment and gave her a glee smile. " I will be glad to warm you up, cupcake."

"Hey it's my wife you are talking to." Mickey snarled annoyed.

"So you better start treating her like a princess. Someone else might admire and take away what you don't value!"

Martha laughed. "I already have company, Jack! And I mean Mr Sandman! Those aliens don't seem to have day-night body cycles but I NEED a shut eye."

They had reached the sidewalk rim. Mickey snapped his head up in attention. The wind had picked up earlier and had been whistling more wildly in their ears.

His companions looked at him puzzled.

'"Come on, Mickey. It's bloody freezing out here There's a bloody hell of a storm on the way. Can't you hear the thunderbolts crackling?" Martha called annoyed. "Lets get INSIDE."

"Yes… but listen…. There is something else blowing in the wind…"

Martha and Jack stopped listening. Their eyes were large in surprise and the three of them slowly turned their heads back, toward plaza.

The haze had come with all his might and it was hard to see under the wind, while the plaza glistened with lights and water.

Air shimmered with the storm and then something more seemed to shimmer in the center. Slowly something took form in the middle of the plaza: a 1960's police blue box.


	2. Chapter 2

I want to thank **Ms Stella Black( Stella on Amino)**. Her story on fan fiction net **It's a New-New Year, Allons-y**! Gave me some ideas to work on and then helped me to make a link to two different paths of a larger story. It helped me turn into one made sense. Thanks Stella, for all the help. The idea of them going back to help 10 is hers and I'm using under her consent. This is an alternative chapter two, but it's a mini story itself. I'll post the whole on fan fiction net.

I used Numeration 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 ..because they're still same chapter 2. I Cut into pieces to make it not long to read. They are part of chapter 2 of a larger fic thus the sub numbers. And alternative, because I made another version where they saved the Doctor on Christmas. They are not different versions of the chapter.

* * *

><p>The trio looked at each other in sheer surprise and happiness.<p>

"Holly Crap!" Jack shouted excited.

A blond girl pulled partially open one of the police cabin doors and peered toward the sky in awe and shock. Wind and water glued her hair to her face. She had to pull it out with effort and had to secure it firmly so she could see.

ROSE! They shouted in unison. She looked toward the direction that the shout had come from.

"Over here!" Jack cried to be heard above the hollowing wind. As he was the tallest of his friends, he waved wildly to call her attention

Rose waved back, signaling them to get inside.

Mickey and Jack's feet moved under them before they could realize what they were doing. The men competed with each other to see who reached her first.

Rose backed up to give them some space. Hot air and dehumidifier draft welcomed her friends as soon as soon as they set foot inside.

The blond girl closed the doors, preventing the storm from getting inside as well as soaking the ship's sensitive electrical equipment. For the police cabin was the cover entrance to inter dimensional spaceship. The cabin was much bigger on the inside, reaching infinite size.

Mickey grabbed her in a tight hug and they spun around the place in a mad happy dance.

"Mickey! I thought I would never see you again. I missed you so much!" Her smile could light up a city. " Jack! Martha!" She hugged each one of them affectionately.

"You always knew where to find me, bombshell". Jack picked her in his arms from Mickey embrace and spun her around and in the air like a kid excited with a much-awaited Christmas gift.

"Oy! Military man! Would you mind putting my wife down?" The Doctor was near the ship's control console, located at the center of the room. His voice and facial expression were a mix of annoyance, welcome and _warning. _

"Doctor!" Jack put Rose down and ran toward him with wide-open arms and a big pleasure smile.

"No Kissing, Army Man, or I'll punch you in the face!" But the Doctor's voice had a friendly, teasing tone that softened his harsh words.

They got each other in a tight welcoming embrace

"I thought you were against violence Doctor." Jack teased.

"I am. That's not violence. It's self-defense. You kiss horribly!"

Jack had a mock offended face. "I had no complaints so far. Maybe you had not got it right.' He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oy, Lazarus! Don't ever try."

"Oy, Storyteller, what's wrong?" The Doctor let Jack go and walked toward Martha, concern marking his brow upon noticing she was in a shaken state.

Martha was leaning on the TARDIS entrance ramp handrail like she needed support or reassurance. *_Of course he is alive, Martha you stupid girl. You haven't slept for 36 hours and are letting you imagination run wild. *_

"Doctor. I missed you so much. Sorry about my state. I just need to have some sleep, that's all." Martha gave him a reassuring smile and a real tight hug. * _He's alive. I can _feel _him; his heartbeat is not an illusion. He's all right. Thank goodness. *_

"I missed you too, Martha." His arms wrapped her tightly in a comforting manner. He had to bend down a little to do so for he was taller than her and she was located in a lower part of the ramp.

*_Like the old times. I missed that too. * _He smiled to himself.

It took her a while to realize something. _* One heart beat_? * She looked up to his face surprised. "You are…"

"Disappointed?" He looked at her with some worry.

"Just surprised. I'm happy seeing you alive and well, too." She tried to smile to him. "It's just that I had followed Rose and the Doctor's drama so close by. When you guys left us, it was just the four of you: you three Doctors and Rose. It seemed to me that Rose and the Doctor would finally be together."

She noticed his pained expression." What is it?" She asked softly.

"What's really wrong?" He locked his eyes into hers. "You are not telling me everything."

*_He's avoiding my question, as usual_. _It's true. I'm not telling him everything. * _She felt herself breaking down again, the tears fighting to return.

The Doctor lowered her to ground gently. "Martha, Martha. What's wrong? You are worrying me."

"Sorry. I thought that the Doctor was dead. Then I saw you and thought it was just my lack of sleep was playing tricks on my tired mind. Then I heard your heart beat. Just one. I'm happy you are alive but that means he…" She sobbed.

Jack and Mickey also had concern in their eyes.

Rose felt her heart being squeezed with an iron fist. "Why do you think he died?"

"Last time that Mickey and I saw him, he didn't approach us to say hello as he usually does. It wasn't because he was busy. I just knew in my heart that he was saying his last good-bye. I could feel that something was terribly wrong."

Mickey nodded slowly.

"And you didn't ask what it was?" Rose felt her voice fail.

"Like he would say." Martha sighed. " The Doctor never admits that there's something wrong with him even if it is something that's slapping on your face."

"Besides, he was too far away for us to ask. He had saved us from a Sontaran and left before we could even recover from surprise." Mickey joined the conversation.

Rose wanted to know more but Martha state brought the compassion on her." I think this is something we should talk after a shower and with good cup of tea. All of you are still wet. Come." Rose extended her hand to help Martha get up.

"I'll get the tea ready." The Doctor offered. "Let's meet on the tea room after we are refreshed."

Martha looked up surprised. " What tea room?"

"I will show you after you have warmed up." Rose smiled. "We have converted a small part of the library into a tearoom. It's a nice place for reading and receiving friends more comfortably."

They met each other at the tearoom a while later. The Doctor had provided tea and snacks. Mickey and Jack were having scotch .The Doctor wasn't very fond of alcohol, so he joined the girls on the tea.

Martha, Mickey and Jack felt better after the shower and with the soothing tea and they told Rose and the human Doctor how the other Doctor had seemed strange the last time they had seen him.

Martha eyed the double. "Sorry, Doctor. But you know him. You came from him, you know how he thinks and feels. Tell me- would he hide a regeneration from us?"

The Doctor shook his head. " No. He wouldn't _hide _from you. You are his closest friends and you know about the regeneration, you have seen it happen before.

On the other hand, if he were regenerating, he would want some privacy for that. He certainly wouldn't invite you to watch or to be with him if he could avoid it."

Martha caressed her teacup. " Sorry. I guess I overreacted. It's just the way he looked. And he never approached to say hello. It's so unlike him. And Jack had just lost Ianto. It isn't like him not being close a friend in moments like this."

Rose bit her upper lip. "Now that you have mentioned, I'm recalling something. I didn't pay attention on the occasion for it seemed unimportant. It was the year before I met the Doctor, a few months earlier. It was New Years Eve. I was returning to my apartment from celebrating when I heard a pain grunt. There was a man in the shadows, close to a wall. He was swaying. At the time I thought he had just partied too much. He asked me what year was it, and told me to have a great _year_."

"OH MY GOD!" Her eyes went humid and turned to the Doctor. "I remember now. He had your voice. He was about your height and he had cape like the one Doctor used. Funny how details seemed unimportant then seems to lock each other now."

"If was him it's unlikely he was drunk." The Doctor lowered his teacup on the saucer. "He might have been under regeneration."

"Why did he hid it from me then?" Rose asked wounded.

"You had not met this version of him yet. Actually, you had not even met him at all. You would not understand what was happening to him. Besides, he doesn't like endings. He knew he was going to meet you a few months later and wanted you to keep those _fantastic_ memories, not those of him leaving."

The Doctor eyed Mickey and Jack. "Do you guys think he was in trouble too?"

Jack was pensive. "I saw no traces of it on his face back then but I had just lost Ianto and wasn't really paying attention to things. After Martha and Mickey told me about his state, it came to me now that he had a serious, almost sad face."

"So lets go back in time and check it. If he needed help, we are his friends." Mickey suggested.

"If he was under regeneration already it would be useless going back. Stopping a Time Lord regeneration process is a sure recipe to kill him." The Doctor reminded them.

Rose stared at him. 'We can't just sit back and do nothing."

"I didn't say that. Look. Let's go back that date and have a peek. If it was regeneration, we may have to go further back in time and see what triggered it. If was something else… we see then what we can do there."

"Lets go!" Jack said worried.

"Sorry. We have to wait a few hours. The TARDIS is recharging herself. I can't unplug her right now. And you three are in an urgent need of some rest. We are leaving after breakfast." They said good night to each other and retired themselves to their rooms.


	3. Chapter 3

"Rose. Where are you going?" Martha asked worried. "He has an armed gun. The Doctor _never _uses a gun. You don't know what he will do."

"No More!" Rose extended her hands toward the gun turning it into golden dust. She had changed as she walked, a golden glow wrapped her." No more guns, My Doctor." She said softly. "You should never put your hands on one again!"

Her friends looked stunned. The Human Doctor smiled in realization. "Of Course!"

The Time Lords eyed her in shock. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bad Wolf!"" She said with an impersonal voice. "You, Time Lords, shall return to your time pocket in peace! Leave my Doctor alone!"

The Human Doctor had a pained face. * _My Doctor_. * He thought with a bit of bitterness. * _He__ is her Doctor_! *

The Lord President glared her. "Do you think you can overcome a Time Lord? You are a TARDIS –human thing. I can control you."

He opened his glove.

"ROSE! NO! Step back!" Both Doctors and her friends cried in alarm. But the energy bolt only danced around her like some mini fireworks.

"How?" The Lord President looked at it unbelieving.

"Something that you don't understand!" Bad Wolf answered. "LOVE! I am made of a human body and the TARDIS Time Vortex, like you.

However, I'm made of something else. I've became a separated entity yet one with her. We three, Rose, The TARDIS and I are made of LOVE. We joined together to save our Doctor once. We did it again!"

She made the Lord President energy dance around her like dust. "Love is the primary force that binds the Universe together. Something that you, Time Lords, seem to have long forgotten."

Bad Wolf turned to the crystal and extended her hand toward it, turning it into dust. "I see the atoms of all things and I can break its links!"

There was bright light explosion and the Time Lords began go back. The Lord President sent a dead bolt toward the Doctor. Bad Wolf stepped in front of him, absorbing the bolt.

With one hand she turned the Lord President into dust. With the other she extended her hand toward the vanishing kneeled Time Lord and Lady. "You can come to safety and freedom if you wish."

They looked lowered their hands that covered their eyes, looked at each other and nodded in mutual understanding. The Time Lady came. The Lord stayed, staring proudly as the portal closed. Bad Wolf grabbed the Lady hand and pulled her out of portal before it closed and sent Master in her place.

NOOOO.

A white explosion hit the room as the portal closed. The Doctor covered the women with his body to protect her. Rose had returned to her old self.

"Are you ladies ok?" he asked worried after the aftershock subsided.

Rose and the Lady confirmed. "Yes. Thank you".

The others were getting up from floor and approached the trio.

The Time Lord Doctor breathed relieved. "I'm alive," he said, as he couldn't believe in it yet. "I'm alive" He sat on the floor, supporting himself on one hand, in a shock state.

"Yes, You are, my Doctor." Rose said softly. Her hand went to his face taking care to not touch the glass cuts wounds. "You're a mess!" She eyed him with love, but also sadness. * _If I only could stop the prophecy.*_

"My Rose. You are here." His hand reached her to see if she was real." How? He looked up to his double. How are you here?" He got up wobbly and helped the Lady do so. "Sorry." He realized he had not introduced her. "Mickey Wilfred, John, Rose, Martha. I'd like to introduce you my mother. Mother, those are my best friends." He introduced then. "And this is…er.." he looked at his double not sure how to explain him.

"Your son I've heard." She smiled to the Human Doctor. "May I give my grand son a hug?"

The Human Doctor hesitated, scratched his head as the Time Lord used to do when confused. "Look ma'am. I'm not exactly his son. I said that to shorten explanations. I'm kinda off..."

"His son!" She insisted. "And himself. I know what you are. You have his DNA, his soul, his mind, and his memories. I don't care how you were generated. You are from my son's genes. You came from him. You are my grand son!" She said with gentleness and some noble dignity.

The Human Doctor hugged her, moved.

Wilfred approached him. "And My grand- grandson as well. You came from my Donna!' Come here Boy!" Wilfred hugged him too. "You are family." Then he turned to the Lady. "My Lady, It's an honor to meet you. You son is such a wonderful man. If he was from Earth, I'd said he was a wonderful human being. And that's highest compliment one can give on Earth!" He took her hand and kissed her fingers respectfully.

Martha and Mickey bowed respectfully to her. "We are honored to meet you too, my lady."

Rose welcomed her with her usual warm smile.

The Time Lady felt embarrassed and gave her very quick quizzical glance. *_You used to enjoy be addressed with proper honor manners and people acknowledged who you were. You even demanded so. *_

*_I've changed, son. War does that, I suppose. I learnt a lot_. *

"Why the other Time Lord hasn't come?" Rose asked gently. " We would have welcomed him too."

"Someone had to remain in the council and try to make the it see its errors."

"You also could have done it, Mother. I'm glad that you stayed but…"

She turned to him. Only her eyes showed how deeply moved she were. "I thought I had lost you once to the war, to our enemies, son. I spent years without knowing if you were alive, dead, or had been taken prisoner."

"Daleks don't take prisoners, mother." He reminded her.

"They were taking at the last years of war. It has been enduring for centuries, no side really winning. The Daleks needed to obtain information on some of our new technology that we were using to keep them at bay. Daleks were trying to get their er..hands on our scientists. I'm afraid some of your teachers were taken. Then we were all locked into that time bubble. I hoped to hear news that you had survived."

"Which ones were taken?"

She answered him mentally. The Time Lord Looked down for a moment, in sorrow. He kept his eyes down, not knowing what to say. "I am sorry, Mother. I thought I had killed everyone. If only I knew you were alive, I'd have come back looking for you, and the others."

" I was informed what you have done."

Pained and ashamed expressions crossed features.

"Don't be like that son." She said gently. "I'm not judging you. I can't imagine how hard must have been to you to reach the point of doing that. I have to admit I was appalled. I wondered myself if I had gone wrong with you somehow."

His face wee sheer self –disgust now.

"…but when I understood what you had really done, it was the slap on my face that woke me up to my errors. I was an arrogant, blind Time Lady."

"Mom you never have been that. You were one kindest people I knew. I'm not saying because you're my mother. You cared for our lessen people in our states much more than I've seen others doing.

"Still I was proud of our race, dear. I was certain of our race superiority above others. Of our class. I didn't think we had right to exterminate others, on that account, but I was proud and arrogant. It took me 300 years of war, having our people devastated and your desperate attitude to have my eyes opened. And of course, Lord Rassilon's and the council attitude as well. If I didn't watch myself closely, I might ended thinking like them."

"I enjoyed, even demanded be acknowledged by my title. I can only thank you for doing what you did. I'm not judging you. Just saying I looked for you." The Time Lady smiled to his friends. " And you made such wonderful and brave friends."

The Time Lord Doctor eyed them " Speaking of you, what are you guys doing here in this timeline?"

The Time Lady was a bit surprised. She knew they were not Time Lords. So, they were from another time too?

"And Rose, how did you and me, here, got out of the parallel world?" The Time Lord Went on.

Rose bit her lip. She looked to the Time Lady, not sure how to say next words.

The Time Lady gave Rose an encouraging smile. "Go On. I already know about that".

"Know what? What are you talking about?" The Doctor demanded.

"We came here to save your life, Doctor but it seems we have arrived too late. Wilfred told us about the Prophecy." Rose said with eyes wet.

"Well. Yea, I'm kind of dying. But isn't the end of line yet." He looked his friends and his mother. "I will regenerate soon."

"Yes. I see in your minds, you know about regeneration. Why are you so upset about it? It's part of our body nature. It's not his last life yet."

"Don't you people get sad when one of the bodies go?" Wilfred asked intrigued.

"Some more emotional members from my people do. Those more mature see it like change, growth. They see it the same way a baby turns into a child, a child turns into teenager and then into a grown up. We loss the child that's no more but we also learn to enjoy the other phases. A child must grow up. A Time Lord/Lady must eventually change their appearance."

Rose smiled, although her eyes were still wet. "I just wish we had had more time together. Seems I'm always arriving when you are leaving. When I'm getting used to you, you change."

"I wish I could stay more too, Rose. I don't know what kind of person I'll be when I change. And now you're here I would like to have more time with you. Even if just for a little bit."

The human Doctor was watching them. "Rose maybe there is a way, yet. Time is still in flux."

"But the prophecy! You said…"

"It can't be stopped. But can be delayed for a little while. It may cost your last regeneration, Doctor, but you would have more time as you are. Will it worth it?"

"Exchange my last regeneration for more time with you? Shorten my life?"

"Not exactly shorten it. If you are careful you will live as long as you were meant to. Just won't change. If you do with your regeneration what you did to me."

"Back then I had my cut off hand! Wait! You are not suggesting I send you my regenerating energy like I did last time, are you? It won't work this time. Your body is human!"

He smiled. " It would be tempting, but no, thank you. I'm glad being human. And I want to grow old with Rose." he eyed her with a pained look. "I wouldn't exchange that for an extended life, even if the regeneration worked on me."

The Time Lady looked the interchange puzzled. She could understand Rose and the Doctors feeling toward each other. * _What a mess. Poor trio.*_

"So what do you suggest? The Time Lord asked. What you have in mind_?_

"First, lets get our TARDISes and get out of here to a more comfortable place."

Wilfred eyed him. "You said TARDISes? As In Plural?"

"Yep. We have our own!" Rose smiled.

The Time Lord Doctor nodded. "Lets go to someplace else. We have a lot to talk."


	4. Chapter 4

"Rose. Where are you going?" Martha asked worried. "He has an armed gun. The Doctor _never _uses a gun. You don't know what he will do."

"No More!" Rose extended her hands toward the gun turning it into golden dust. She had changed as she walked, a golden glow wrapped her." No more guns, My Doctor." She said softly. "You should never put your hands on one again!"

Her friends looked stunned. The Human Doctor smiled in realization. "Of Course!"

The Time Lords eyed her in shock. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bad Wolf!"" She said with an impersonal voice. "You, Time Lords, shall return to your time pocket in peace! Leave my Doctor alone!"

The Human Doctor had a pained face. * _My Doctor_. * He thought with a bit of bitterness. * _He__ is her Doctor_! *

The Lord President glared her. "Do you think you can overcome a Time Lord? You are a TARDIS –human thing. I can control you."

He opened his glove.

"ROSE! NO! Step back!" Both Doctors and her friends cried in alarm. But the energy bolt only danced around her like some mini fireworks.

"How?" The Lord President looked at it unbelieving.

"Something that you don't understand!" Bad Wolf answered. "LOVE! I am made of a human body and the TARDIS Time Vortex, like you.

However, I'm made of something else. I've became a separated entity yet one with her. We three, Rose, The TARDIS and I are made of LOVE. We joined together to save our Doctor once. We did it again!"

She made the Lord President energy dance around her like dust. "Love is the primary force that binds the Universe together. Something that you, Time Lords, seem to have long forgotten."

Bad Wolf turned to the crystal and extended her hand toward it, turning it into dust. "I see the atoms of all things and I can break its links!"

There was bright light explosion and the Time Lords began go back. The Lord President sent a dead bolt toward the Doctor. Bad Wolf stepped in front of him, absorbing the bolt.

With one hand she turned the Lord President into dust. With the other she extended her hand toward the vanishing kneeled Time Lord and Lady. "You can come to safety and freedom if you wish."

They looked lowered their hands that covered their eyes, looked at each other and nodded in mutual understanding. The Time Lady came. The Lord stayed, staring proudly as the portal closed. Bad Wolf grabbed the Lady hand and pulled her out of portal before it closed and sent Master in her place.

NOOOO.

A white explosion hit the room as the portal closed. The Doctor covered the women with his body to protect them. Rose had returned to her old self. "Are you ladies ok?" he asked worried after the aftershock subsided.

Rose and the Lady confirmed. "Yes. Thank you".

The others were getting up from floor and approached the trio.

The Time Lord Doctor breathed relieved. "I'm alive," he said, as he couldn't believe in it yet. "I'm alive" He sat on the floor, supporting himself on one hand, in a shock state.

"Yes, You are, my Doctor." Rose said softly. Her hand went to his face taking care to not touch the glass cuts wounds. "You're a mess!" She eyed him with love, but also sadness. * _If I only could stop the prophecy.*_

"My Rose. You are here." His hand reached her to see if she was real." How? He looked up to his double. How are you here?" He got up wobbly and helped the Lady do so. "Sorry." He realized he had not introduced her. "Mickey Wilfred, John, Rose, Martha. I'd like to introduce you my mother. Mother, those are my best friends." He introduced then. "And this is…er.." he looked at his double not sure how to explain him.

"Your son I've heard." She smiled to the Human Doctor. "May I give my grand son a hug?"

The Human Doctor hesitated, scratched his head as the Time Lord used to do when confused. "Look ma'am. I'm not exactly his son. I said that to shorten explanations. I'm kinda off..."

"His son!" She insisted. "And himself. I know what you are. You have his DNA, his soul, his mind, and his memories. I don't care how you were generated. You are from my son's genes. You came from him. You are my grand son!" She said with gentleness and some noble dignity.

The Human Doctor hugged her, moved.

Wilfred approached him. "And My grand- grandson as well. You came from my Donna!' Come here Boy!" Wilfred hugged him too. "You are family." Then he turned to the Lady. "My Lady, It's an honor to meet you. You son is such a wonderful man. If he was from Earth, I'd said he was a wonderful human being. And that's highest compliment one can give on Earth!" He took her hand and kissed her fingers respectfully.

Martha and Mickey bowed respectfully to her. "We are honored to meet you too, my lady."

Rose welcomed her with her usual warm smile.

The Time Lady felt embarrassed and gave her very quick quizzical glance. *_You used to enjoy be addressed with proper honor manners and people acknowledged who you were. You even demanded so. *_

*_I've changed, son. War does that, I suppose. I learnt a lot_. *

"Why the other Time Lord hasn't come?" Rose asked gently. " We would have welcomed him too."

"Someone had to remain in the council and try to make the it see its errors."

"You also could have done it, Mother. I'm glad that you stayed but…"

She turned to him. Only her eyes showed how deeply moved she were. "I thought I had lost you once to the war, to our enemies, son. I spent years without knowing if you were alive, dead, or had been taken prisoner."

"Daleks don't take prisoners, mother." He reminded her.

"They were taking at the last years of war. It has been enduring for centuries, no side really winning. The Daleks needed to obtain information on some of our new technology that we were using to keep them at bay. Daleks were trying to get their er..hands on our scientists. I'm afraid some of your teachers were taken. Then we were all locked into that time bubble. I hoped to hear news that you had survived."

"Which ones were taken?"

She answered him mentally. The Time Lord Looked down for a moment, in sorrow. He kept his eyes down, not knowing what to say. "I am sorry, Mother. I thought I had killed everyone. If only I knew you were alive, I'd have come back looking for you, and the others."

" I was informed what you have done."

Pained and ashamed expressions crossed features.

"Don't be like that son." She said gently. "I'm not judging you. I can't imagine how hard must have been to you to reach the point of doing that. I have to admit I was appalled. I wondered myself if I had gone wrong with you somehow."

His face wee sheer self –disgust now.

"…but when I understood what you had really done, it was the slap on my face that woke me up to my errors. I was an arrogant, blind Time Lady."

"Mom you never have been that. You were one kindest people I knew. I'm not saying because you're my mother. You cared for our lessen people in our states much more than I've seen others doing.

"Still I was proud of our race, dear. I was certain of our race superiority above others. Of our class. I didn't think we had right to exterminate others, on that account, but I was proud and arrogant. It took me 300 years of war, having our people devastated and your desperate attitude to have my eyes opened. And of course, Lord Rassilon's and the council attitude as well. If I didn't watch myself closely, I might ended thinking like them."

"I enjoyed, even demanded be acknowledged by my title. I can only thank you for doing what you did. I'm not judging you. Just saying I looked for you." The Time Lady smiled to his friends. " And you made such wonderful and brave friends."

The Time Lord Doctor eyed them " Speaking of you, what are you guys doing here in this timeline?"

The Time Lady was a bit surprised. She knew they were not Time Lords. So, they were from another time too?

"And Rose, how did you and me, here, got out of the parallel world?" The Time Lord Went on.

Rose bit her lip. She looked to the Time Lady, not sure how to say next words.

The Time Lady gave Rose an encouraging smile. "Go On. I already know about that".

"Know what? What are you talking about?" The Doctor demanded.

"We came here to save your life, Doctor but it seems we have arrived too late. Wilfred told us about the Prophecy." Rose said with eyes wet.

"Well. Yea, I'm kind of dying. But isn't the end of line yet." He looked his friends and his mother. "I will regenerate soon."

"Yes. I see in your minds, you know about regeneration. Why are you so upset about it? It's part of our body nature. It's not his last life yet."

"Don't you people get sad when one of the bodies go?" Wilfred asked intrigued.

"Some more emotional members from my people do. Those more mature see it like change, growth. They see it the same way a baby turns into a child, a child turns into teenager and then into a grown up. We loss the child that's no more but we also learn to enjoy the other phases. A child must grow up. A Time Lord/Lady must eventually change their appearance."

Rose smiled, although her eyes were still wet. "I just wish we had had more time together. Seems I'm always arriving when you are leaving. When I'm getting used to you, you change."

"I wish I could stay more too, Rose. I don't know what kind of person I'll be when I change. And now you're here I would like to have more time with you. Even if just for a little bit."

The human Doctor was watching them. "Rose maybe there is a way, yet. Time is still in flux."

"But the prophecy! You said…"

"It can't be stopped. But can be delayed for a little while. It might cost your last regeneration, Doctor, but you would have more time as you are. Will it worth it?"

"Exchange my last regeneration for more time with you? Shorten my life?"

"Not exactly shorten it. If you are careful you will live as long as you were meant to. Just won't change. If you do with your regeneration what you did to me."

"Back then I had my cut off hand! Wait! You are not suggesting I send you my regenerating energy like I did last time, are you? It won't work this time. Your body is human!"

He smiled. " It would be tempting, but no, thank you. I'm glad being human. And I want to grow old with Rose." he eyed her with a pained look. "I wouldn't exchange that for an extended life, even if the regeneration worked on me."

The Time Lady looked the interchange puzzled. She could understand Rose and the Doctors feeling toward each other. * _What a mess. Poor trio.*_

"So what do you suggest? The Time Lord asked. What you have in mind_?"_

"First, lets get our TARDISes and get out of here to a more comfortable place."

Wilfred eyed him. "You said TARDISes? As In Plural?"

"Yep. We have our own!" Rose smiled.

The Time Lord Doctor nodded. "Lets go to someplace else. We have a lot to talk."


	5. Chapter 5

This one is bit long but had to tie up some things. Jack and company at the end. Connection to next chapters."

* * *

><p>Wilfred turned to Halley. " I want to invite you to come and live with us, Halley. You left your world; Earth is an alien world to you. You don't know anyone around here. I would be very honored if you stayed with us."<p>

"Thank you, Wilfred, for your offer. I will accept." She smiled sheepishly.

The Human Doctor protested. " Grandma, you can come live with us in the TARDIS. I'm sure Rose won't mind."

She stared at him. " Thanks, dear, but you are starting a married life. You and Rose has a lot to work ahead of you. I would only be in the way."

"No way. We have a plenty of space in the TARDIS. You won't bother at all."

"Thanks but I'll take Wilfred offer." She raised a teacup to drink but her arm shook and she dropped it splattering tea on her robe.

"Grandma!" The human Doctor cried alarmed.

He and Martha were on their feet in seconds. Wilfred recognized the signs. "Halley when it was last time you had a decent meal?"

She looked down embarrassed. " We have been in a war for 300 years. Food has been scarce."

The Doctor stared at her. "This is just not it. How long you have been forced to be in that weeping angel position, granny? Did he allow you to eat at least?"

She didn't answer but he got the answer on her mind.

"BLIMEY!"

Martha eyed the Time Lady ad then the Doctor.' "Let's take her to your TARDIS med bay." She turned to the time Lady. We need getting your a check up, ma'am."

"We don't need going to med bay." The Doctor picked up his sonic and scanned her. He frowned reading the results.

"That bad?" Martha asked him. He puled her to a certain distance, showed her the results and explained the meaning of the readings.

"I'll get you a pen drive with the transcription, so you can have them written. But basically she's starving. She needs proper food, vitamins, micronutrients."

"Can she get what she needs from Earth?"

"The majority of things yes. There are a few micronutrients that were native of Gallifrey and you won't find here."

"But Gallifrey is inaccessible now. How are we supposed to get them?"

"They exist in other places in universe as well. I can find them. Gallifrey was were they were more easily found and accessible to her, but as it out of question, I'll have to look somewhere else."

"She will need a follow up. See how's she adjusting to Earth food. And how to rebalance her diet."

"I'll be returning every 2 months to keep an eye on her."

"I want to follow up too. I could learn Gallifreyan physiology. We might need this info for later, in the case we have an emergency."

"I will talk to your present time line self and give her the readings. So you can keep an eye on her too, from this now.'

"Thanks"

They returned to their friends.

"Is it serious, Doctor?" Wilfred asked worried."

He looked his grandmother. " You will be ok, Granny. Your condition requires attention but isn't cause for alarm yet. Martha from this time line and I will keep an eye on you and help you get what you need."

"Please don't tell my son about this. He has enough to worry about already."

" We can't hide this from him." Mickey explained. "He would know at once we were trying to hide something. And he is not forgiving for those he thinks that has betrayed his trust; he would never talk to us again."

Halley sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't want to break such wonderful friendship."

Wilfred turned to the Doctor. "Can't you do that healing thing? Like your dad did to his own skin? It's healing already."

The Doctor shook his head. " Afraid, not, gramps. This is a human body. I would need a Time Lord one with regenerating energy to help her that way. I'm sorry grand ma." He turned to her.

"It's not your fault. You're re doing everything you can already, and that enough to me."

They sat back on the picnic towel again and waited for the others. The Doctor and Rose joined them a while later.

His friends were on light moods again, eating and laughing. They looked the newcomer with expectation.

"Did it work?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor nodded gleefully. "It was a genius idea."

"Just be careful, son." Halley smiled. "This is your last life."

Rose and The Doctor sat on the towel. Halley mentioned to him her plans to accept Wilfred invitation.

"Mom. We have plenty of space on the TARDIS. Wilfred, I thank you offer, but I think my mother should stay with me!"

Wilfred eyed him. 'You are not serious! I know she's your mother, but you are not seriously thinking into taking her with you into your crazy adventures."

"She is my mother Wilfred. I can look after her."

"It is dangerous. What if you get stuck into a Dalek ship again? Or a… what that potatoes guys name? Sontaran? You barely got out those two last times."

"You have been prisoner to Dalek and a Sontaran ship?" Halley asked appalled.

"Prisoner to the Daleks, Mom. I was negotiating with the Sontarans. But it's all right." He added seeing her expression. * _Daleks are interrogating prisoners from Gallifrey. No wonder she panicked_*" The Daleks didn't hurt me. They just kept us restrained."

She gave him a very motherly look. _* Don't play with me boy, I'm your mother. I know you. *._

"Its true. They had major concerns on their minds." Mickey helped.

"Yup." Martha came to his help. "Like disintegrating the universe. Don't worry, Halley, you son was the last of their concerns."

"How did you break free form a Dalek ship then?" She asked doubtfully.

The Doctor and Wilfred had pained expressions. His companions and his double looked at each other intrigued. What was going on?

"Donna! The time Lord Doctor said after pause. " Wilfred's' grand daughter. She was the only one that was free. She released us and then we took over. She was marvelous."

Halley eyes Wilfred. "I didn't know you had a grand daughter. And that she was my son's friend. Why didn't you mention her?"

"I didn't want to break this party mood."

The women and Mickey looked from him to the Doctor now deeply concerned.

"Doctor. What happened to her?" Rose asked a knot forming in her throat.

"She couldn't cope with the Time Lord Energy in her brain, Rose." He had deep sorrow in his eyes.

Rose covered her mouth in shock. " But she was better than ever when you left us."

"No she wasn't."

"Did she…" Martha had tears forming in her eyes. "O NO! Dalek Can was raving about one of your companions dying…"Rose had tears streaming her face, Mickey had sorrowful face.

"Dalek Can? Since when Daleks have name son?"

"They were from the cult of Skaro, mom."

"The worst of them!" She said appalled. " And you were prisoner in their ship!"

"And I made out, mom. Stop worrying, please!

"Donna died, in away." He went on. " I had to wipe her memories from us from her mind. Everything she lived with me, with us is blocked form her. Physically she is fine. She's living her life as she had never met us."

Rose had stronger tears. "She had fought so much to avoid this- Donna never knowing them. She died once Doctor so she could turn left and meet you. This isn't fair".

"You couldn't help her, Dumbo?" The human Doctor glared his double, his eyes blazing.

"I couldn't. There was nothing I could have done."

"Duh! Ever heard about Nano Gene?"

"Nano Genes?" The Time Lord Looked at his double in shock.

"They can stabilize her DNA!"

Wilfred eyed the Doctor. "So there was a cure?"

"Now, Wilfred. Nano gene can do this, yes, but they need a model to work on. A Stable Human-Time Lord…"

"HELLOOO!" The Human Doctor raised his hand as to call attention to himself.

"Yes. This could work…." The Doctor went on pensively.

"So if you have a cure, heal her." Wilfred demanded,

"Wilfred I can't."

"Don't you dare not helping her, Doctor! She's like that because of you!"

"I know Wilfred. But even assuming she survives the process, she won't be human anymore. I would be messing with this planet pool gene."

DOCTOR! Everyone shouted at same time in indignation

"I don't care if she grows two heads, a tail and get scaly skin. I want my Donna back, not the half life she has been having!"

Halley stared him "You would have done the same for Susan, change her DNA if that saved her son."

"That's different Mom. Donna is alive! I didn't need to change her to save her."

"Half alive." Wilfred pointed on. "She has lost part of her spark. And sometime she has that lost look like she was looking for something she doesn't know what!"

"Al right, all right. We will help her. I'm going to the 50th century to get the Nano genes. I'll meet you here."

"One last thing. How did you guys left the parallel world? I thought the barriers were closed."

"Halloween." The Doctor explained. "The frontiers between worlds get thinner. We were giving our TARDIS a first spin and she went right into this worlds. Straight to Cardiff, like a horse returning to its bay."

"But the rift on Time –space..." The Time Lord Doctor asked worried,

"No rift actually. Just thinning of passages. Like a concrete wall was turned into cobweb, or butter paper. Was easy to TARDIS pass through."

"That's what Halloween is all about, Doctor." Rose reminded.' Not just costumes and pumpkin carving. Or trick or treat." She teased him.

"But if that was so, Earth would be full of…"

"Aliens? Creatures from other dimensions? What are ghouls, witches? Ghosts?"

"Never thought about that. I'll have to redouble my watch on Earth on Halloween. See you guys, soon".

He left to the TARDIS

Halley looked to his companions. "You better go back to your time line. He won't be back for months."

Wilfred mouth dropped.

The others realized she was saying it with certainty. It wasn't a guess.

"His TARDIS has its own ideas. They will meet you in your proper time line, by Halloween. Don't worry, Wilfred. They'll heal your grand daughter."

"But she is marrying in a month. What will she do when she is healed? She won't be the Donna her fiancée knows off anymore."

"Wilfred, we have to delay this marriage."

"Delay the marriage?"

" The Doctor will heal your granddaughter, Wilfred. That means she will change. It's not fair, they have just 8 months married and they might find out completely strangers to each other."

Wilfred looked at her with despair. "You are right of course. We have to delay this marriage until Donna returns to her real self. Then her fiancée can decide if he still wants to marry her or not. Just dunno how I'm going g to it, in such short time. The marriage is due soon. But, Blimey. I will find a way. For My Donna!"

"We will Wilfred." Halley smiled to him. Allow me to help". She held his hand. Wilfred blushed but wished with all his hear she didn't let it go.

" So its settled, Wilfred? We see you in Halloween?"

"I see you in Halloween then, guys. Thanks, And have a nice trip.: he waved as they got things and went to their TARDIS

WHOOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

…

Jack, Halloween Eve Night, Cardiff. After he left his friends.

Jack looked around from the bar counter. It had been a long day and the scotch was reassuring.

He had gone to he nearby bar he used to frequent after he left his friends and had his paperwork done. Weariness was gone from his body, he was now too excited and too worried. Rose and the human Doctor had returned and that had filled him with happiness and excitement. On the other hand the news about his old friend, the original Doctor, worried him. He would never show his friends how worried he was, it wasn't his style. No matter how dark the situation were, Jack always found a way to joke about, and show high spirits.

"He's dying." He said to his glass. "How could I have not noticed?" he slapped himself mentally. The scotch against the light made he think of the Doctor's hair color. * _The Doctor says he could be regenerating. I do hope it is so. I have seen he regenerate twice. How many regenerations he has still? What if this time he doesn't have any left?"*_

The thought filled him with dread.

* _What you have done to me, Doctor? Why do you mess with me in such a way? I cant take you from my head, nor am I sure that I want to. I know you don't reciprocate my feelings, and yet, I just can't let you go. You turned me into a better man. How can a man like you be leaving this world? You can't be dying, please just be regenerating. The Universe need your brilliant mind, your courage, you compassion and your sense of humor. *_

The corner of his eyes caught a flash of red at the bar entrance. He looked up surprised. Donna was entering the bar and coming toward his direction.

"Having a hard day, military man_?" _She gave him a large smile. Is this place taken? She tapped the stool at his side_._

"I saved for you_." _He smiled back and got up to hug her. She hugged him tightly back.

"I missed you, fiery head_. _Where have you been?"

"Fiery all right."She threw head back and laughed_. _"It's like I have supernova inside me. My head is exploding." She ordered a straight scotch too to the barman and they toasted when hers arrived.

_* Straight? I love this girl more and more_.*

"I missed you too, Jack. You know how to live up a party."

"I thought you were having enough fireworks with the Doctor." He grinned.

"I had." She sipped her glass and eyes him teasingly. "He 's fun, but a bit "_too business_". He could learn to loosen up a bit sometimes. You on the other hand knew how to lighten up no matter the situation. I was impressed." she licked her lips, cleaning them and rested her glass on the counter.

Jack felt his heart accelerated. Her tongue cleaning her lips and the smirk dancing in her eyes turned him on.

"So. Why a hot man like you is drinking alone? I assumed you would be surrounded by company." She looked around with playful ironic glare.

*_I forgot how hot she was. So fiery, so lively. Great sense of humor Brave girl too, she hand ethos Daleks with class. Made them waltz, literally. and now with a brilliant mind as well_. _Her perfume is delicious.*_

"I kind of wanted be on my own tonight."

"Oh? Should I leave?" She looked at him disappointed.

"No please! Your company is more than welcome. So what are doing here in Cardiff?"

"Got a job as research a secretary of a professor at at Cardiff School of Biosciences. Thanks to the Doctor contacts I got a job there.

"

"Secretary? But you have a brilliant mind, Donna. You could do much more now" he looked at her incredulous. And What About the Doctor? I thought you would keep traveling with him."

"I know I'm brilliant and could do better. But there's grandpa to look after. He had pneumonia and is recovering, but medicines are expensive and Health services are cutting help on the elders. I want help him. A science job I would have me tied up. Its full time work. As secretary I can help the research with bureaucratic data, and still be able to help keep an eye on grandpa. When he gets better I can dedicate myself fully to the research."

"I'm sorry to hear about Wilfred. The Doctor told me about him, he has great respect for your grandfather, Donna. Haven't seen the Doctor feel like toward military men before, retired or not. You grandfather must be someone really especial to affect him like that. I would have liked to meet him."

"He is." She looked toward her glass. Then she faced him again with a forced smile. "And About you, Military man. How's life? How are Martha and Mickey? Still working with you?"

"Yes. They are seeing each other now. You know, Donna" he lowered her voice to her ears only. " You would be welcome to work On Torchwood anytime. After what you did to those Daleks. We could use your talent."

She smiled sadly. " Thanks. I will consider your offer. But I need gramps getting better first. I don't suppose your job offer health insurance." She smiled, came closer and her lips touched his ears speaking very low. "I don't think any insurance company would cover being zapped by a Dalek, being converted by a Cyberman, or having your house hit or set on fire by an alien ship."

Her presence so close made his mouth dry. * _Is she seducing me? Or worried about her granddad? I like her smart mouth tough, even in a dark situation like this. This girl has spirit!*_

Her eyes showed worry.

"I can't pay insurance for that, that's true. Money is kind of short. But I have influence, contacts that own me some favors. I could arrange for your grandfather to have the best treatment medicine could offer and he and your family have support if anything happened to you. We look for each other in Torchwood."

"I appreciate that, Jack. I truly do. Can you hold this offer for a little while? It will take some months, only. Gramps isn't really in a bad situation; he just needs takes his medicines and goes slow. I can pay for those with my job now, you already have too much on your head. I would like to hear more of what you guys have been doing. About Martha and Mickey. If you have had heard from the Doctor. I miss them."

Jack put his glass on the counter slowly. "I have news, indeed, but here is not the place to we have such a talk." He made a gesture toward the bar with his head. Lets go somewhere else.

They paid the bill and went outside. Donna hooked her arm on his as they walked.

"Where are you living?"

"Nearby University. I have living quarter there."

"Too many ears nearby. Lets go to Torchwood. We can talk more privately there."

He led her inside, to his office.

"Let me make some coffee for you. You look like you would enjoy some." She offered.

"Ianto could…" He swallowed and slapped himself mentally again. It was hard to remember that Ianto was dead. He had been making coffee for them for so long that it was almost impossible to think he wasn't here anymore. Everything was just like when he was alive. It was like Ianto would appear any moment to ask if they wanted coffee.

"Yes, thank you'. Jack nodded slowly.

Donna brought them the coffees.

"The Doctor is here, Donna. " Jack played with his mug. "His TARDIS is in the Cardiff Plaza. "

Her eyes opened in surprise. "Those are great news indeed".

"Donna, he is dying."

She glared him alarmed. "He can't be!"

"He is. Well, at least Martha thinks he is and I trust her. She has been him for long enough, she is very close to him. She can read him better than any of us. If Martha thinks he's dying, I have no reason to doubt her."

"How? What happened?" She moved on her chair unconformable.

"We don't know yet." He told her what had happed earlier. "I'm supposed to meet them on breakfast, so we can go back in time and help him. Are you coming?"

"Sure."

Jack began feel sleepy and fell forward.* _I was drugged_.*

He looked at Donna. "What…" and collapsed. Donna's lips curved in evilly.


	6. Chapter 6

an old enemy seeks for vengeance.

* * *

><p>Jack woke up dizzy and looked around feeling confused. He had found himself glued to a wall like a giant insect by wall shackles made of spider web treads. They were wrapped around his wrists and ankles and were firmly anchored at the wall. To his horror Donna was in same situation, unconsciously tied up at his side.<p>

"Donna!" Jack tried to pull a wrist free, or at least pull his arm enough to reach her. "Donna wake up! What have they done to you?" The shackle ceded just a bit but not enough to free him nor to allow him to touch her. "Donna!"

He breathed relieved as her chest rose up and down. * _At least she's still alive. *._

He heard approaching sounds. Jack looked to his right as the door opened. A giant spiderlike creature entered the room. Behind her there were two Jack-O lanterns robots dragging unconscious Martha and Mickey along with her. They glued them to wall like Jack.

"A Racnoss! I thought your kind were extinct." He said in wonder. "What have you done to my friends?" he asked angrily.

"Ah. You awoke, Captain. You are stronger than I expected. Don't worry. Your friends are just unconscious. As you should have been." The Racnoss said amazed. Then she spoke with anger. " True. My kind was almost extinct thanks to the Doctor and his people. But thankfully I survived."

"How did you survive? I saw your brothers and sisters dead corpses on the ship."

"I was lucky. I heard the thundering sound coming toward us and luckily I was by an emergency exit so I entered into an escape pod and launched it. It was my salvation. The water that drowned my brothers and sisters only surrounded it. The water pushed it against the ship hull so I wasn't carried with the water that passed by the ship sides on its way down to core of Earth.

The pod was airtight sealed and could support higher pressures than from the incoming water one. As the water around the ship subsided I returned to my ship and found out the catastrophe that had happened. I went down and drained the water from it, for it had turned into a gloomy water bowl.

I was planning to use the ship to get myself out of that hole. Thanks to my Empress, the ship still had some Huon energy as well as my kin. However it would take me some time to get the ship back to functional for the in flood had ripped several of the ship wiring and circuits, but it was nothing some web producing and repairing hands could not fix.

Thanks you wormlike creatures that were kind enough to do it for me, the ship was lifted to surface."

Jack cursed himself mentally. Torchwood had retrieved the ship and stored it safely with his other alien materials in his underground storage room.

Tosh, their tech was supposed to have checked the ship. She had done a first scan for life forms and had found none. Tosh had planned to make a complete exam later, but other more urgent things went happening one after another and she didn't have the time- she had died shot by Jack's brother who wanted revenge- before she could finish her job.

"There was no signs of life onboard." Jack reminded her.

"I wasn't onboard anymore. I left ship as soon as I heard you creatures leave and hid myself."

* _Darn it. Tosh had left the storage room to go to the control room to use the computer 'keyboards and joysticks to scan the ship more thoroughly. She had not thought of scanning the room for a possible escapee_. _With that amount of dead corpses onboard and the way they had died it was unlikely that someone had survived. It wasn't her fault. *_

"I used some of the ship energy to listen to you, worms. I heard enough to know the Doctor was responsible for the death of my kind and my Empress. I swore to avenge their deaths."

"The Empress wasn't his fault."

"Liar! I have to thank you, anyway. The ship was locked into a room with a lot of other alien technology. I had enough time and material to learn to use alternative forms of energy to my ship, once the Huon one we used were getting scarce. Before you had disposed of the dead bodies I removed the Huon energy from them. I fed myself on those furry creatures there were in the room. Hid myself whenever one of you guys was coming."

* _And alarms didn't blare! Blimey! Nothing was taken Out of room, doors were not forced_. _She had the perfect hideout to work on. On MY Torchwood! I gave her a repair shop with all material she needed.*_

"So how come you got out of my dungeons? How did you get the ship out_?" _Jack smiled charmingly but was seething inside.

The Racnoss smiled. "AH. How did I get out? Yes. I had a little help. And this isn't my original ship. It is a new one build with Racnoss alien tech."

"Help? Who would help someone like you?"

" Ah! That!" Racnoss smiled mysteriously.

Martha and Mickey were waking up. They shook their heads to get the rest of dizziness off. They got alert in time to see Rose be brought to the room by a trio of Jack O' lanterns robots.

"They seem familiar somehow." Mickey wondered.

"You probably saw them with their Santa disguises. As we are not in Christmas yet, they got another one." She turned to the Jack-O's. "Ah I see she got the last one. Very well." The Racnoss gleamed.

"Rose, you too?" Martha asked worried.

"I am sorry. I was tricked." She looked embarrassed.

"I don't think it's your fault, Rose." Jack looked toward Martha and Mickey. I think we all have been tricked by an expert."

"What about the Doctor?" Martha asked concerned. What happened to him?"

"I was separated from him. I hope he has escaped from the Jack-O's."

Racnoss gave a loud laugh. "Don't worry. My agent must be sending him my invitation right now. He will be here soon."

"Invitation? You want him up here?" Mickey asked unbelieving.

"I thought the Doctor's enemies wanted him as far away from their ships as possible. Do you know what happened to the last ones that had him aboard?" Martha asked.

"I can imagine. But he won't do anything. Not when I have all of you with me." She watched as the jack-O's hung Rose to the wall.

"That's been what the Daleks thought." Martha sneered. " And they were the ones that got a foot on their rear."

"That's what you are getting when we break free." Mickey added.

"What do you want with him anyway?" Jack asked. "And what we have to do with it?"

"Revenge. He killed my children. I want him to see his children dying." She gave each of then a bite by the neck, sinking her fangs deep on their flesh.

"What you have done to us?" Rose said alarmed

Racnoss smiled evilly. "You will soon find out. Don't worry. You're not dying right away. I want the Doctor witness it. Like he had made my previous Empress do."

They heard footsteps outside the door.

"Ah. Seems my helper has arrived from her mission.

Everyone was in shock as a nice looking Japanese woman came in wheeling the Doctor unconscious on gurney. She was dressed as a Japanese schoolgirl, in a women sailor outfit with platted skirt and blouse. Leather shoes, white socks and a backpack. She didn't seem to be over 16 years old. Two folded hand fans hung magnetically from her waist,. A large hooded winter coat reached to her feet, and it was rimed with white fur on the colar, sleeves and lower rim. She carried a school backpack on her back.

"Tessen!1 What have you done? I told you to invite him. Not knock him out!" the Empress hissed annoyed. " I want him awake."

The girl eyed the Racnoss. " Don't tell how to do my job, ma'am. _I am_ the bounty hunter here." Her voice sounded older than she looked. "You said you wanted him. You tell me _who _you want, if you want your prey dead or alive. That's your part. **I** decide _how to deliver_ it. I have done my homework. He's too dangerous to be trusted by just an invitation. Especially with this!" She got out his screwdriver from her school jacket pocket. " Nice little toy. I'll add to my collection. Very useful indeed. This one could have been a ninja with his toys and tricks." She looked at the Doctor with admiration.

"Hey. Give that back." Rose snapped. "That's not yours."

"Sorry, little girl. This will be part of my arsenal now. Such precious thing." She tucked into her school jacket pocket.

The Pilot Fish ( Jack-o's)were tying the unconscious Doctor to wall in such way he would have a good view form all his friends when he woke up.

" A school girl? A Bounty hunter?" Mickey looked surprised.

Jack shook his head. "She is tricking you again, Mickey. She is not what you think she is."

"OH! Poor Mickey and Martha. So taken by external form. Maybe you know me by this?" She took the form of an old lady.

"Hey. She was the one who cried for help. The one who said had been mugged." Mickey protested. "We came to help her."

" And your disposition to help first and ask questions later…" She smiled. " It was so easy to attract you to that semi dark street. An old lady is so innocent." She giggled, hiding her mouth with one of the fans.

Martha hissed. She was starting to get annoyed with aliens who took old ladies forms.

"Jack. Missing so much your red haired girl friend." Tessen went on "It was a piece of cake tricking you. And Rose. Wanting so much having the Doctor on your back to protect you." She shook her head in mock pity and returned to her previous form. She closed the hand fan.

"A Shape shifter." Rose and Martha said at same time in shock.

"No." The Doctor had a rough awakening by Racnoss. "Look closer, but not really looking. Look with the corner of your eyes."

They did so. Something was flurrying on her back. At first they could not make out what it was, too blurred, something witish. Little by little it began take form- something white and furry. A tail. No, three on her back. Two forming the collar fur rim, two forming sleeves rim and two wrapped at coat rim forming the furred ending.

"You are a Youkai!" Jack said in wonder.

"Ah. Someone with brains." Tessen smiled amused. " A what?" Rose and Mickey asked stunned.

"A _youka_i2.' Martha said in wonder. She looked at the Doctor. "When I was in Japan, running the world, telling people your stories I heard about them. Youkais are Japanese mythical creatures. They live in a parallel world but they can materialize in ours at will. They have myriads of forms. There are water, fire, plants, rocks air youkais. Some even take human form. According to Japanese legends, everything can become a youkai under right conditions.

Some of Japanese folks even thought you and the Master were youkais, due your amazing stories and the Master unexplainable powers. due Master manipulate the fire flying spheres."

"This one is a kitsune, an air youkai in form of a fox. A trickster." Jack added.

The Doctor nodded approvingly. "Very well. Martha. She is not a shape shifter. She gets in our minds, our hearts and takes the forms we want to see. Kitsunes are mind players. She got every info she needed right form your minds."

"Not every info, Doctor, but I'm honored you thought so. I'm a bounty hunter as well. "Tessen, The Void Blade." She made a courteous light bow. "Researching my prey historical data is basics of my job."

'How did you enter my mind, trickster? Donna's form alone wasn't enough for me to allow you invade my mind and trick me." Jack snapped.

"No, Captain. But you distracted thinking about our Doctor here." She looked at the Doctor." Also, you were lusting for the red haired. Your mind was easy to ride. I gave you what you wanted

"More respect to her, you…"

"ME? Its' you that were having not so respectful thoughts toward her. Or Him." She snickered. ." She looked from Jack to the Doctor and back to Jack. "My, you were having such fun thoughts. I would have had his form, but you knew he isn't into this kind of game, it wouldn't have worked. but would sure it would have been more fun."

"She is not just a regular Kitsune, Jack. She's a nine-tailed one. The most dangerous and talented ones." The Doctor pointed out,

"Does the number of tails make difference?" Rose asked.

"Yes. A Kitsune wins a tail every 100 year. This one is around 900 years old. She's as old as me and very wise. If you add that to her bounty hunter experience, she is really a very dangerous opponent." He eyed her. "But you are not entirely an youkai. You are a Hana -you."

She hissed. " What makes you say that?"

" A full Youkai wouldn't need money. They exchange energy with the environment around them. Air, water, earth or whatever your element might be, the contact with it would be enough energize you. But you wanted material currency that has no meaning for your kind. It only means you are a Hana you- a half youkai and you can't fill yourself entirely form the energy fields on nature around you. Also these fans that you carry in your waist..."

"Those are not mere hand fans. They are tessens, war Samurai hand fans used as weapons. They are made of, light blades to help it fold naturally, but they are lethal. They can block many weapons attacks, be used as shield as well as cutting weapons, the tips of the fan are sharpen blade tips."

Tessen made a light bow in true respect to the Doctor. "Your mind is as sharp as I was told. I would have enjoyed playing more with it for longer time. But I'm afraid I had a mission to fulfill and couldn't risk letting you lose." She turned to Racnoss. My job is done. Shall we settle our agreement?"

Racnoss was enjoying the scene. "I'll be back, Doctor. Enjoy your friends while you can. They won't last long."

"Racnoss. Your trouble is with me. Keep me, toy with me as you wish but let them go!"

"Why would I? I'm enjoying my revenge. You made my mother and Empress watch her people die. Now it's your turn. And without your precious toy you are not really much, are you?" She snickered.

"Racnoss. I'm begging you. Let them go! You don't need to be like this."

"Why wouldn't I?" She left laughing with Tessen.

1 Tessen is a Japanese metal folding hand fan weapon used by samurais. The sharp edges can be used to cut,, can hid spring blades and the body of the hand fan can block swords. They can be disguised as innocent hand fans.

Search for Japanese war fan on net.

2 See wikipedia, Kitsunes.


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor looked worried as his friends got paler and began to sweat. He looked to Jack. "What has she done to you guys?"

"She has poisoned us by biting."

"Can you, at least, fight it Jack?"

"Hey, I'm not you Doctor. I cannot regenerate myself before I die."

The Doctor just glared him sternly.

"All right. All right. I can heal myself from poison. But can't tell if I will do it fast enough to prevent death or if I have to die and come back."

"How did she get you guys, anyway?" Mickey inquired Rose and the Doctor.

"After we left you guys, we had to wait for the other Doctor."

Jack rose an eyebrow inquiring.

"Later, Jack." Rose said in a tone for him to wait. " As we were around during Halloween day we wanted to go to a Halloween party, you know. Dressed in costumes and all. We were going to a major one when we saw that Jack-O's entering in the building where the party was being held. We knew they were up to no good. We kept going in that direction, we were going to the same party anyway.

We feared they might hurt the humans, so we had to find a way to get them out as fast and with fewer casualties as possible. As we entered the building the place was crowded and more and more people were coming in. it was one of Cardiff major public Halloween parties. A wave of incoming people separated us. I was looking around for the Doctor I felt him by my side and was just glad he had overcome the crowd so quickly. Turned out it was the trickster." She said bitterly for being fooled like that.

"Don't be like that. Rose. She's very professional. You mind was filled with worry for my sudden disappearance in that sea of masked people and for knowing the Jack'-Os were in the saloon somewhere, up to no good. She gave you what you wanted. Some reassurance."

" And you Doctor?" Mickey asked. "She couldn't trick you that easily could she?"

"No. That's why she used a stun gun. She was really good professional, I give her that."

"I'm worried about Donna, Doctor. She hasn't woken up yet. "Martha looked at her friend with a clinical eye and frowned concerned."

"Don't worry Martha. She's fine. Trust me, its better she doesn't wake up in this place."

."She's fine. Just into a deep sleep."

"How can she sleep in situation like this'?" Mickey asked in wonder.

The Doctor chuckled. "That's Donna. Always missing big things around her."

His friends chuckled too, but they were losing strength. Rose began to doze off.

"Rose, No. You have to try stay awake. All of you." the Doctor called them alarmed.

Martha head was pending too. Dark spot began to form on their arms.

"Blimey. *_The venom is eating you guys form inside. I have to find a way to get of here and help you guy out. I don't want to see you turning into pudding. I have to get you guys out of here. But how? *_

The Doctor looked around the room looking for a way to get of that sticky situation. "_I_ have the Doctors' mind, but I really would enjoy having some of his other abilities right now!" He looked at his hung wrists a little above his head level and sighed. "Some Time Lord energy on my hands would certainly become handy now."

"Don't you think you could produce just a little spark, luv?" Rose eyed him weakly. "After all you came from him."

"I don't have his body Rose."

"But have his DNA!" Martha reminded. "It means your cells may have the ability to produce the same energy his cells do."

"I'm part human too. The human genes may be interfering with the Time Lord ones, blocking them. But it's worth a try." He closed his eyes, focusing, trying to produce a spark strong enough to break the bonds. *_Come On! I just need a little spark, please. I don't need to be lightened up like a Christmas tree like him. Just a spark to cut those bonds_. * He used all his meditation training to try to make a spark. He had been using meditation techniques mostly for self-control purposes but the process also allowed him being more conscious of his body. If he only could unlock his DNA…

"It's no use. This human body cannot produce bio spark as his." He sighed.

Tessen had returned and was leaning on the door threshold.

"What do you want now?" Rose asked upset.

"The Doctor. I told you I wanted have some time with this delicious mind. My business with Racnoss is done. I delivered him. I can have him back. You are coming with me Doctor."

"Where to?"

She shrugged. " Makes any difference?"

"Why would I come with you?"

"Do you want save your friends lives?"

He stared at her. " What are you offering?"

She produced a vial with glowing green liquid inside. " Antidote."

"You are a trickster. Why I would trust you?"

"Because I want you." She threw it up in the air and cached with her hand. *_I could stun you and take you anyway. But this won't be as much fun. *_

The Doctor kept staring at her. A smile of satisfaction curved her lips.

"I don't trust you. I'm not going anywhere with you. My friends were there for me every time I was dying. If I cannot save them at least I'm staying with them."

She made a disappointed smirk. "I was afraid you would say that."

Tessen stood some steps away from the wall hung Doctor. She opened one of her hand fans and threw it to the ground. It formed a semi circle that expanded to a size she could easily step on. The Kitsune picked her other hand fan and flicked it ahead of her, towards the Doctor chest. Thin spiked metal blades came from its tip, stopping at a distance from his heart Rose considered to short for comfort.

"Hey." Martha protested in horror. "Those tips seem to be dangerous. They can perforate a heart or a lung or, easily cut skin and maybe a muscle. They are thin and sharp as knife. Watch out those points."

Tessen made a light cut on the Doctors left arm.

'This blade is coated with a poison that paralyses and kills quickly, unless you have the antidote, what I happen to have. Don't worry. I don't plan you to die. Just be immobilized while I finished our travel arrangements.

She opened her other fan, and threw on her back. It has happened the same as with the first one. The open fan guards clipped on each with magnetic sound, forming a complete circular platform where both could expanded itself until the two of them could fit standing over it.

She pulled his sonic out to cut his bonds. The Doctor fell on the circular fan platform. She grabbed him and helped him stand.

"Where did you learn too…"

"Use a sonic? You are not the first Time Lord that I have hunted." She steadied him with one arm, while used her other hand to bind his hands with magnetic handcuffs. "Recognize this?"

She lowered her right sleeve to ground. A small tailor knife slid from its inner folds to her hand she pointed to his throat.

"Its belongs to The Weaver! What you did to him and to The Seamstress?" The Doctor asked angrily.

"Nothing. They were were already dead when i saw them. Cyberman footprints all around place. the neighborhood was all scorched. I just check their pockets. you Time People carry interesting things on your pockets. like your sonic or that interesting blade.I learnt about sonic from another Time Librarian. he liked to build things with his hands.

Another friend of mine. You got him?"

"f'raid so. This one had too much info that interested a previous client of mine."

The The Doctor hissed. He fell heavier on her shoulder.

"Opps !We have to run before you die, hot stuff. I did what I had to survive-I convinced them I would do the round shift around. They left us. After Cybermen left, I checked the Time People pockets. Time Lords have wonderful instruments." She kissed him.

"Hands of my husband, your vixen!" Rose snarled and fought harder to break free.

"TA TA" the fox waved sarcaticaly to Rose.

From the circular platform under them, there was a blue light. A energetic tube in the form of perpetual surfing wave like appeared beyond them. The fan platform lifted carrying the Doctor and the fox inside the tube like surfers. It closed after they had entered it.

"NO!" Rose! Cried in despair. " John!"

"Surfer's board!" Jack said amazed.

"Where they went to?" Rose asked alarmed. She used all her forces to keep herself awake. " He will die."

" Don't worry about that Rose. She will give him the antidote. They could have gone anywhere either on time or space. " Jack said. That is a Surfer blade. These people surf inter dimensions. That thing was a inter dimensional wormhole. Or The Tube as the Surfers call it."

"Are they like Mini TARDIS?" Mike asked. "Travel in time and space?"

"No. They don't use dematerialization nor can go both Time AND Space like the TARDIS do. It's either one or another dimension. It uses regular quantum physics. Either they can be located in space or by their momentum- How much energy you need to make them stop or deviate. It can be tracked down. But if she has hunted Time Lords before, she might have got the technology to travel through time dimension as well. I won't lie to you Rose, they can be tracked but won't be easy".

"But can they be found?" Rose asked anguished. Fear of losing him forever gripped her heart.

"Yes, with a TARDIS it can be done." Jack assured her

"Then we are in even bigger trouble." Mickey sighed weakly. We don't have neither the Doctor nor a TARDIS with us!"


	8. Chapter 8

Two Doctors gone, une returned. But none of the ones his friends were expecting.

* * *

><p>The Empress returned to enjoy her vengeance. She seethed when saw the Doctor was gone.<p>

"Where is the Doctor?"

"Why don't you ask your partner?" Rose asked still mad at Tessen. Her breathing was more ragged and it took her more and more effort to her to do it.

"Why, that double edged-blade girl. I should have kept closer eyes on her. Well I'm afraid that I have no use for you all now, then, except for being my meal. Which of you I should start with?" She approached the walls licking her lips.

"I would keep your hands of them, Racnoss, if you value your life." An unknown voice came from the door. Everyone turned his or her head toward there in surprise. Standing on the threshold, there was a tall man with dark floppy hair, long legs and arms. He wore a tweed jacket and a bow tie and was obviously crossed. By his side stood girl wearing a black and red checked miniskirt and leggings and black jacket.

"Who are you?" The Empress hissed annoyed. "And how the hell did you get into my ship? Ah. It doesn't matter. You two are joining me for lunch. GUARDS!"

"Ah, them!" The stranger shook his head half disappointed and half amused. " I had to give them a relax treatment. Again!' he flipped a sonic up and down. " Seriously, Racnoss, you are overworking those guys. It's the second time I had to give them a relax treatment. Maybe you should consider giving them a vacation!"

"YOU!" She looked at the sonic with dread. "It cannot be, you were just..." She glared at the empty spot on the wall where the Doctor just had been, totally confused.

"Ah. That was not very comfortable either." He shook his head in disapproval. And then, at a clearly more threatening tone. "One more reason for you to release my friends, Racnoss. You have poisoned them, you are giving a totally no star hotel treatment, and now you want to have them for lunch. You crossed my patience limits with you. You are walking in thin ice, as humans say."

His friends looked at him and then at each other utterly confused, unbelieving. How did he change? He was supposed to have lost his last regeneration.

"If there is something I don't handle well, Racnoss, is people hurting my friends to get at me. I passed through a similar situation not long ago and still have the scars of it and the consequences were dreadful. Well not that much since thanks to it I met my wife, but still..." His tone had changed to indulgence and has returned to anger again. "So if you really, really value your life, Let Them Go!"

*_Wife?_ * Rose and Martha looked each other. *_That young woman_?* Rose didn't know how much more she could take. She just had lost one Doctor, she could only trust him that he would find a way to make his way back to her as he always did, and now he had reappeared, a total stranger and married?

Jack gave him an evaluating look and smiled. "Not bad. I like your new look and your new attitude, Doctor. That's more like it! But bow tie?" he made a face of a no-no face.

"Jack!" The others used their remaining forces to scold him. They might be dying but no way they would agree that the Doctor killed, much less out of rage.

"Bowties are cool". The Doctor said with bemused grin. His friends shook their heads disagreeing

Jack looked at the Doctor's new companion appreciatively. She stared back at him with defying eyes, crossing her arms on her chest in a clear defying and affirmative posture. *_I'm not available! Eyes of, Mister! *_

Rose felt her heart thumping hard and gave the Doctor a concerned look. *_This is my Doctor. But he has changed, he has almost regressed to the state he was when I first met him; maybe worse, he's less compassionate. What has happened to you to make you like this again, honey_? * She felt sadness for him. Her head was spinning due poison and the awkward situation

"Doctor. You can be better than this." His new companion scolded him in a very familiar tone. "What about your promise?"

"Clara!" he said in exasperated tone but he knew she was right.

Racnoss snorted. "Why don't you listen to your wife, Doctor? Be a good husband, she is calling!"

*Wife? * Rose stared the girl behind him again. *_Is she the one? What has happened to me? They clearly have feelings for each other. He fancies her and she has feelings for him, tough isn't clear to me_ _what they are yet._ *

" We are not married." Clara stated clearly.

"But he said..." Racnoss stuttered.

"Well, he is married. He was, actually. Not to me. Not that is of any of your business either, Aracna."

While the ladies argued, the Doctor had activated the sonic. His friends looked in shock as it wheezed. Racnoss wasn't Mather Theresa but she wasn't armed either. They knew his vow to never kill cowardly.

Martha and Rose thumped to the ground followed by Mickey and Jack, as their bonds were broken.

"Now Racnoss, the tide had changed. Get off here, before I change my mind." The Doctors' eyes were burning with ferocity Racnoss knew well among her kind. He wanted blood and was barely holding himself down. His sonic wheezed once more and Donna fell forward. Mickey and Jack managed to grab her before she hit the ground and lowered her body gently down.

Rose felt her sickening stomach feeling getting better, and her head clearing. Her strength was returning. She looked at Martha than at Jack and Mickey. They nodded- they felt the same.

"You companions are hardly a problem Doctor, they barely can stand on their own feet." She sneered.

'O yea?" Rose challenged. She and her friends were standing up with effort but defiantly.

"I still own that boot on your big rear." Martha glared the Racnoss. "My feet are itching."

"I chose my companions well, Racnoss." The Doctor smiled proudly at them. " They don't give up that easily and they are stronger than you think. They are My Children, as you said."

Mickey and Jack brought Donna out of Racnoss range. Clara looked at her concerned, picked her up from the guys, held her with one arm and slapped Donna lightly on the face with her hand to wake her up

Rose looked at her alarmed. "No. Don't wake her up!" Clara stopped mid slap. "Why not?"

"Clara, just don't." The Doctor said without looking back. "She will die if she wakes up."The Doctor turned his attention to the Racnoss."You lost. Its over."

"Not yet, Doctor. In half an hour your precious Earth planet is toast".

"What do you mean?" He asked non-concomitantly

"I set 4 thermo bombs in the four corners of the planet. They are already in count down, Doctor. You have 30 minutes before Earth becomes my meat oven. Leave your friends with me and I deactivate it. Take them and Earth is roast beef land. And even if you find one of the bombs, the four of them have to be deactivated at same time, or the one is deactivated separately will cause chain reaction. You cannot be in four places at same time. So what will be? Your precious Earth or your friends?"

"You should know me better, Racnoss. Both! Now deactivate the bombs." He pointed the screwdriver to her.

"You kill me you'll never be able to deactivate them."

Clara eyed her and put a hand on his forearm as to stop him. "Ma'am you should really leave this room now. Soon not even I will be able to stop him from turning you into stardust. You have crossed all his lines."

Racnoss left the room laughing. " Chase me, Doctor and the Earth is roast. Or your friends are dead."

Rose looked at the Doctor worried. *_I liked more when he tried to talk her over to give up her ideas. It worries me that he has returned to resolve things with weapons.*_

"Clara." He sighed exasperated. "Thanks." He said after a pause and reconsidering his attitude.

The Doctor came to his friends and picked Donna in his arms. "Hey, nice meeting you again. Are you up for some running?" his face softened and had a child like concerned expression upon seeing their state.

Rose nodded. Questions were whirling on her mind, but she had no time for them now. "I'm feeling better.

They stared each other feeling a bit shy. Rose didn't know this one yet and he was aware of it. He wanted to reach for her and didn't know how she would react to this new self of his.

Rose wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her tightly; relieved she had broken the awkward barrier, thankful for her mute acceptance.

Rose let go of him. They had little time and she had said everything he needed with her hug and her look

"You did this? Healed us?" She asked while ran by his left side, Clara by his right and the others following right behind.

"Partially. I used the sonic to break the Racnoss proteins apart. It loosened the spider web, and the venom on your bodies, that's are part protein as well. The venoms won't work anymore, they are wearing off once they were broken down, but your bodies may take a little while to fully recover ".

His eyes spook volumes to her for a brief instant. Enough to Rose know he still loved her, his feelings had not changed. It was all that she needed to know, right now. However the deep pain she saw there made her heart shrink.

"Er, Doctor, where are we going?" Martha asked on his rear.

"The TARDIS. We have to stop Earth from being be roasted. But we need meet my other two selves."

Rose stared at him. "But my human husband was jut taken by the Kitsune. And I have no idea where my other one is."

Clara glared at her. " _Two husbands_?"

"My Time Lord body went to get my human one back."

"So you knew this would happen? And you talked to him?" Rose looked at him amazed. "From his future?"

"yep." He gave a grin like a child proud of its feats.

"I didn't know you could meet your past selves like that. I thought you were not supposed to do that. "Rose said in wonder. "You've told me to not be doing it."

"I also told on the occasion I knew what I was doing, you didn't. " He reminded her.

Clara confirmed it. "I've seen it happen twice. Once with him like this." She made a head movement toward the present Doctor. "On another occasion he had met his selves from his other timelines."

"And that didn't create a paradox?" Rose asked.

"No. I wasn't interfering in my own time line. We worked together to solve something beyond ourselves."

They had reached his TARDIS and got inside. Rose and the others looked around feeling lost. It was not the interior they knew of. It had got darker, bluish, the green pillar had changed. The stairs were gone as well as the upper floors.

The console had changed completely as well, more technical and less grunge. The instruments seemed to be ultramodern and brand new. Gone was the retro look.

For a moment they felt like they had entered in the wrong apartment.

The TARDIS gave them a welcome humm as she felt their sense of being lost and wanted to reassure them. The Doctor put Donna on the driver's chair. Crossed chest seat belt materialized themselves and secured her.

"She is still the same old girl, like me. Just with a new face." The Doctor said as he started the engines.

Jack and Mickey whistled appreciatively. They approached the console and examined the new look of the instruments totally delighted.

The TARDIS hummed and the giant discs on top of her pillar began slide one over the other in opposite directions. They had Gallifryean symbols written on them.

"I liked your face lift girl.' Jack looked up to the wheels on the top of the central pillar and then to the brand new instruments. Mickey gave a pleasure wolf whistle.

Rose stroked the pillar. "It's all right. Donna will be OK, don't worry. I know that if it's necessary we can count on you. Sorry how we reacted as we came in, old girl. I've seen him regenerate twice, but had never seen you change. I didn't know could do it too. I just have to get used to your new face."

"Yah! Sorry about that." Martha stroked her too.

Clara eyed them with a worried look. "This talking to the equipment is contagious."

Martha and Rose eyed her in shock." you don't talk to her?"

" I do. But it's only because the Doctor asked me to do it. This sounds completely nuts to me."

"Clara, haven't you and her made peace yet? "The Doctor asked disappointed.

" We have reached a truce, Doctor. But she definitively doesn't like me and I don't trust her. She's too full of tricks!"

"Clara, she was defending herself. She was scared and had been attacked!" he said as it was obvious and didn't need to be explained. "She hasn't hurt any of you humans."

Clara wasn't entirely convinced the ship would not get rid of her if she had the chance."Because of you, Doctor. if she had her way, she would have get ridden of us at once".

Rose approached her. "I know that it sounds weird. I was like that in the beginning too. But with time and patience we get used to see it more like a live being than just a machine."

"I know she is alive somehow Rose, its just…I still feel weird talking to a giant lap top!"

"You will get used to it." Rose smiled with certainty. "So where are going, Doctor?" Rose asked

"Cardiff. We'll meet my other selves there."

.


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor parked in a quiet street, inside a storeroom, and waited for his other selves to arrive.

"So, everyone is here." He gave a large grin of satisfaction and rubbed his hand in glee. "This is better than old school reunion party."

"It's nice seeing you, again…Er anew?" Mickey smiled unsure.

"I'm glad to see you still had regeneration left, Doctor. I thought you had used it to stay with us for little time." Jack smiled. Then he raised a brow. *_But there was a price wasn't it, my friend? To keep balance Universe gives with one hand and takes wit the other. I wonder what your price was...*_

The Doctor made the presentations to each other got serious and got serious again. "I thought so too, Jack. But Universe had other plans."

He picked Donna up ,tucked her gently on a comfortable bed at one of TARDIS's rooms, sat on the edge and watched her with a sorrowful face.

Rose approached him and squeezed his shoulder in a supportive way. She felt a bit shy, her cheeks getting lightly pink colored. *_He is the husband I know, but he's also an entirely new man, with different personality and tastes. I hope he didn't mind that I touched him_ _like that. *_

The Doctor looked up at her. His eyes were marked with deep thought, sorrow and worry. They softened when the Doctor saw her. The burdens from his shoulders had been lightened. He even managed to smile a little, reassuring her that everything was ok. His left his hand covered hers in complicity.

Martha and Mickey averted their eyes to give the couple a little privacy. Jack watched amused, wondering how this strange reencounter would develop. Martha whacked him on the shoulder and Mickey gave him a _leave them alone _with his eyes.

Clara was uncomfortable. She wouldn't admit loud and clear to herself that she had feelings for him, but seeing him and Rose like that disturbed her more than she would have liked to admit. *_Who are these people? They're clearly his friends, and this Rose is obviously much more than just a friend. He didn't have time to tell me exactly from __where__ or from __when__ he knows them, with so many things happening._

Jack approached her and chatted friendly. Clara eyed him more appreciatively now that he wasn't eating her with his eyes so intensively. He had his military cape open so she could check his well defined body under his clothes_._* _Not bad at all. How come the Doctor had never mentioned he had such a handsome friend? * _

"What has happened to her?" Clara eyed Donna with sympathy. "I take that you guys were poisoned, but you have recovered yourselves when the Doctor used his sonic. Why hasn't she? And what the Doctor meant she would die if she wakes up?"

" Mickey explained.

"He hasn't told you about us?" Martha asked worried. She recalled when she ahd met Donna, Donna already knew everything bout her. He also had talked a lot to her about Rose and his other friends. She felt strange the Doctor had not mentioned them to Clara. Not that she expected the Doctor to be like a search site on Internet and spill all their information right away. But Clara seemed to be traveling with him for sometime, she had an intimacy with him that beginners usually didn't have. l And it hurt that Doctor had not mentioned them at all, like he had became more withdrawn somehow, or had tried to forget them.

"The Doctor doesn't talk about his life at all. He's not a man of wasting unnecessary words. Everything I found about him had been either by accident or because I'm a very nosy girl." Clara explained.

Martha shook her head. " And his previous self was such a yap yap, we had the opposite trouble. It was hard to keep his mouth shut. He used to talk about his past companions tough. He talked everything about Rose to me, and about us to Donna. Looks like he got withdrawn."

" He's more withdrawn and grumpy, now. No doubt. Sometimes I see deep sadness in his eyes, like someone had lost everything, or had seen too much."

"He did." Mickey nodded with sympathy. "But he used to have a more cheerful attitude."

" He still does." Clara explained. Who is she?" Clara nodded toward Rose. "I never had seen him so close to anyone."

"She's his wife." Martha explained.

Clara mouth gapped.

Martha smiled. "I take he didn't tell you he was married. Typical!"

"Oh. I knew he was married. But not to her." Clara said in low voice. "I met his other wives. They are nothing like her."

"Wives?" They eyed her in wonder. " Did he marry with more than one woman? I want to hear more." Jack led them outside the room gleaming.

" Not at once, no. He married Queen Elisabeth. I was there!" Clara explained.

"Queen Elisabeth?" They were in shock.

" And later he married a woman with an big attitude and hair! Bad girl! I didn't know about this one."

"That's strange." Martha wondered " Rose is the love of his life. He lost and found her. As far as we know at the moment they are starting a new life and he's very thrilled about it. Why he wouldn't mention her?"

"Something must have hurt him deeply to he get so withdrawn and grumpy. I've met his previous self. He was so happy and full of life. I wish he could be like that again."

Martha smiled to her. " His personality changes, but I'm sure you can make as happy as he can be with this new body, Clara. I saw how he looks at you. If someone can help him its you."

"What about Rose?" Clara sighed.

"She doesn't belong to his timeline, whatever has happened to her. You do" Jack reminded her. "It's up to you to help him find happiness again.

"I just wish I knew how." She sighed.

They heard the sound of another TARDIS landing.

"They are here." The Doctor stood up in a swirling moment and faced the door with a happy gleeful face. "Visitors!" He clapped his hand quickly in happiness. He walked in large stride to the door and opened it with a sudden movement. "Clara, would you bring our guests here, please? They are unfamiliar with the new TARDIS hallways layout. I'm staying here with Donna."

"Sure!" She moved toward where she remembered the console room was. * _I just hope the TARDIS doesn't act up. I'm feeling nervous having to go through her bowels hallways again. She doesn't like me_ _and can pretty well redesign her layouts every clicking second_.

Clara looked surprised at the twins on console room_.* Ok. I've met one of them before but which one? The wedding ring. Of course! His past self has married Queen Elisabeth. But Rose is married to one of them as well and she is wearing a weeding ring. So the one with the ring is the one married to her to to Elisabeth? *_

She walked forward and gave a big hug on the one wasn't wearing the ring. "Nice seeing you...or you both again." She looked at the other Doctor no sure how to act. He was something old and something new.

"It's OK, Clara. He is I, just different body." They grinned amused at same time. She hugged the other one tightly and he responded like an old friend. "Nice seeing you again, Clara."

She punched him on the shoulder into a mocking scold. "Will you stop making this kind of surprises to me? It's confusing. I dunno how to address to you guys anymore. Call the three of you the Doctor?"

"Four of us" The Human Doctor corrected.

"Yes, Your friends told me what happened. Can you help her?"

. They have reached Donna's room door. They greeted their friends.

" We plan to. The Time Lord eyed his double "You go inside I'll wait here. It will be too much for Donna seeing a double me right now. She is already in for a rough time. And you're the one that's needed." He handed his double a canister. "Here! Take this with you. "

His twin got the canister and got inside.

The Time Lord one faced Clara. "There is a possibility of Donna not making it, Clara. The brain is a very delicate material, very frail, indeed. This should have been done with more time, so we could go easier on her. We will be as gentle as possible but time is something we are running out and we need her to deactivate the fourth bomb."

Rose joined them outside. All they could do now was wait.

The human Doctor approached the bed exchanging a silent look with his future self. The later ceded the newcomer his place at the bed spot.

The human Doctor gently woke Donna up. She looked around confused the strange room. "What has happened? Where am I? Why I am in strange room bed with two skinny men? What happened to my new job commemoration's party?" She grabbed a reading lamp light at the nightstand and held it as a weapon. " You better have not done anything to me, you lampposts."

The Doctors looked each other. So that's how the Kitsune got her- by passing by being her new boss and inviting her to some sort of celebration. They refrained themselves form chuckling; despite the dire straights they were in, this was their Donna. A fighter.

"Donna, it's OK. You passed out." The human Doctor talked to her gently. "We are your friends. Do you remember me?"

Donna made an effort and rested the bed lamp by her side, but didn't let go totally her defensive stance. "You're John. You're a friend of gramps. I saw you in my house once, near Christmas, I think. Where am I? In your room?" She asked alarmed. "What happened? OY! I know I shouldn't have drunk all that vodka. My head is exploding!"

The men looked at each other worried.

"You are safe Donna. Smithens here found you unconscious and was kind enough to bring you to his guest room at his home. You can trust him.'

'Thank you." Donna eyed the Time Lord. She looked back to the human Doctor.

"How come I never heard of you? Gramps always told me his stories of his childhood and from war. He loves telling stories and he never mentioned you.

"My father and he had become great friends. They were in a conflict together and developed great respect for each other. I just met your grandfather recently. I was, er.. away, traveling."

Donna nodded accepting the explanation. Its just so many people form gramps past showed up, this skinny man, Halley. "Its' strange he hadn't mentioned you guys."

"Maybe he mentioned, Donna. He said you're kind of a distracted girl."

"Yea. That could be it."

The Time Lord was walking around the room impatiently, swaying his arms agitatedly as he moved.

* _Nice chat, Sandshoes. You had to wear sand shoes too? what's wrong with you guys? No fashion sense! She will have her brains _fried_ while you discuss her gramps social life._ *

* _I need her to trust me. And I rather have sandshoes than being a dandy with bowties! Hate bowties, those things are cursed. Every time I used one disaster succeeded. *_

_* Snort! No they are not! They're cool! Don't blame the innocent bowties.*_

"Oy! Will stop rocking your arms like that? Is getting me dizzy and seasick." Donna made a sick face. The Time Lord panicked. He made a dash to bathroom and got wastebasket for her along with a glass of water to wash away the taste from her mouth.

The Human Doctor glared at him unbelieving. *_You can't be __that__ sensitive with some puke. * _He looked at his friend's panicked expression.

* _Let her throw up into __your__ TARDIS and then you tell me how the ship reacts. __Then__ we talk about my panicking. If she threw up on the floor, this TARDIS would have had a fit. Wouldn't have been nice thing to see._ *

Donna threw up, washed her mouth and thanked the Time Lord. "I 'm sorry. I'm usually stronger with vodka. It must have ben some falsified one. I passed out? What a shame." Donna shook her head deeply embarrassed. "In front of my new colleagues and my new boss! I got a new job and went to a work celebration party at a bar!"

Donna held her head like she was in deep pain "My head. Those horrible images. Why do I keep seeing giant wasps? a giant spider woman? Giant salts shakers and a squid headed creature? Why everyone has same face and wants me? Go away!" Donna pressed her temples like she wanted to squeeze the images and the pain away. "OY! _My head_ is burning".

"Allow me." The Time Lord sat on the other edge of the bed and touched her temples with his hands. He rubbed them and her head sides with his thumbs and gave a quick look at his other self, nodding.

The human Doctor grabbed Donna's wrists gently. "Donna, listen to me. We are doctors. We can help you with those images, with the burning head but you have to trust us."

"Doctors? I not mad, am I? Am I loosing it?" She asked alarmed.

"Not that kind of doctor, no. Don't worry. Donna you are not crazy."

Her face relaxed a little. "You are good with this hands." She smiled to the Time Lord. " Thanks."

"This was nothing. Just some Do In massage. But won't be enough Donna. You need some more effective treatment."

Donna had a pained face. "I'm having a break down, isn't that so? This year had started with the wrong foot. I was supposed to marry after Christmas. Wrong things have been happening one after another ever since New Year. I had kept postponing the marriage. Finally in May granddad had a, stroke. He survived but is in slow recover. I cannot marry until he's ok. He had already lost my previous one."

"Wilfred had a stroke?" They asked alarmed. Donna nodded. The Time Lord wanted to see more in her mind. * _Allow me, you're going to get her another headache with your methods_.*

But he had not need to touch her. They realized at once what had happened.

*_Mom_! _She can make Wilfred looks like he had a stroke, but not really endangering him, if she manipulates right his blood vessels_. *. They thought at same time.

_*And Wilfred would agree. They would do anything to prevent Donna from marrying until we could fix this. * The Time Lord added mentally._

"He has been sick in bed, slow recover since. I'm glad that old his school friend, Halley, came to live with them. Mom wouldn't handle him and work all by herself and she's pretty good nurse. This Halley is an angel fallen form sky in the right time. It's almost as universe was conspiring for me not marrying. I guess my body finally couldn't cope with it." She was crying.

The Doctors felt lost and pang of guilt. They knew they were messing with Donna's life, ruining it temporarily, but it was necessary. Also, they were running of time, they had to get her healed, for her own sake, but for Earth as well.

The human Doctor picked up the Nano Genes canister." Donna, listen. I have the cure for you here. I need you just lay back and allow the medicine to work, k?" She laid back and he opened the canister. The Nano genes came out like a dust made of light.

The Time Lord Doctor made a gesture toward his the human self and then to Donna, guiding the Nano Genes.

"How did you do that?" She asked as she saw he guide the shinny dust.

"You know the answer. Let the dust do the work. The memory will come to you."

Donna began to debate herself as images surfaced. "A giant wasp!"

"And Agatha Christie, Donna. Remember you helped her solve a murder." The Nano Genes continued their work. Donna went on telling what she saw. The human Doctor went on helping her recover the good memories. How she had been incredible, how she had guts, compassion, smart ideas, his participation on the events.

The Time Lord touched her head again, soothing it when her head heated too much. Donna relaxed at his fingers at her temples. Little by little her memories were returning and being stabilized.

She shuddered in fear when she recalled being locked into the TARDIS into Dalek ship. She was afraid to go on with her memories, all her body knew what she was about to witness and refused. "I'm going to die! I don't want to see anymore." Donna resisted them.

"No, Donna, you are not going to die. You survived, you are here with us." The human Doctor tried to calm her. It took her a while to calm down and they could proceed. She looked at the Time Lord. "I saw your friend a lot in those adventures with me. And what about you? Haven't seen you yet and you don't seem fazed about such extraordinary things."

"I was there, Donna." he eyed her with gentleness, guilt and sadness. Keep going, you will find out soon."

She looked in shock as she recalled how the human Doctor had come to be. "A Naked guy! A Naked guy grew up from hand!" She blushed as image came clear to her mind. "I saw you naked!'

"Yep!" He grinned.

"And that doesn't bother you?

"Why would it? I was being born. And I do have a great bod."

"I beg to differ." She grinned. "You two need a lot of filling. When all this is over, come to visit me on weekends. I'll make decent food for you guys; you will fill in no time. A little pumping iron out would help to."

" We work out! They said at same time I with indignity. " We are in top physical condition!'

They went on with the memories. Donna slapped the human Doctor. On the face

"Hey what was that for?"

"For making me forget, space man! I begged you not to." She said annoyed.

"Ok. But then slap the other one, will you, Earth girl? I'm innocent."

"So you are …"

He smiled. "Yep. I'm the Bonkers Naked guy!"

"But you were left in that place." She said with horror.

"I returned. I'm here to stay."

She hugged him tightly, moved. I'm so glad. I was really sorry that he had to do that. I would have liked to know you better. Where is that Dumbo, btw? He deserves another slap for what he has done to you."

The Human Doctor looked that e Time Lord grinning evilly. " Have fun, help yourself Donna."

She looked at the other in shock. "You are… but you're completely different."

The Time Lord jumped out of her reach. "I change bodies, when I regenerate, Donna. You haven't seen it when I regenerated because I sent the excess of my energy to the hand. But this is what normally happens."

Donna got up form bed and walked angrily to him in firm strides. "You. Made. Me. Forget! I was going to marry and have kids when all I want is to travel with you!"

"I had to. For your sake" he waved his hands around, randomly in appeasing gesture. " But I fixed it. See? You're back. And we are in a emergency, Donna. Earth is in Danger."

She stopped. "How so?"

They updated her as they led her to the door. They met their friends outside and she slapped the Time Lord.

"Will you stop that Donna?" he protested rubbing his cheek. Ouch!

"I owned you that! I slapped an innocent and almost slapped your other innocent self. This time I made sure the right one got what he deserved" now lets undo those bombs!"

Donna went With Clara and the newest Doctor. He left them at one bomb spot, promoting pick them up later. He and his other selves went each to a bomb location. Rose and Jack stayed with the human Doctor. Mickey and Martha stood with the remaining one. Jack, Mickey and Clara worked as helpers to deactivation.

The Four Doctors synchronized their minds, thoughts and feelings, pushing aside everything that was personal, until there was only _one _Doctor Mind working on the four bodies, nothing else. It was like a giant octopus with one head and several arms had wrapped Earth.

They breathed relieved, with only 10 seconds short of detonation

The three TARDISes parked side by side at the storage room. The newest Doctor had picked Donna and Clara on his way back. Now was time to say good-bye.

"YAY" Donna Cheered. The Four MuskDocs are back!" She said as she hugged him.

"Three Donna." The Newest had sad smile. I can't stay."

"But you can come for visit, cant you?" She asked, her eyes wet of missing him already. I just can't fill you up anymore, I'm done with my housewife life."

"Are you calling off your marriage?" He asked sadly.

"I don't know. I have to talk to my fiancée. I love him, but I dunno if he can keep up with my new life, my new me. We have to have a talk." She said with pained expression. I just know can't go back to where I was."

She hugged him tightly. I gonna miss you, you big giraffe."

"I'm gonna miss you too, Donna."

She hugged Clara tightly. "Take care of him. He tends to do stupid things if left alone for too long. And watch yourself too. I wish I could known you better. A"

"I will. Don't worry." Clara was moved. This red haired had conquered her in few hours." I'll see that we drop by sometimes to say hello."

The other came too to say good their bye as well, one by time.

Rose approached them. She said good-bye to Clara and her eyes locked with the Newest Time Lord. Rose turned to the others. "Can you guys give us a moment?"

Rose pulled him inside his TARDIS, behind the doors. There were so many things she wanted to ask but she knew him well enough to know he wouldn't answer. She just wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his on her kissed him deeply.

"This isn't a good bye." She said when they broke apart. Its just a _see-you- soon._" I found you, and I'm not letting you out of my life. I never let." She smiled. "I don't know what will happen…"

"Rose..." his voice was soft warning

"I 'm not asking. I know you better. But I will find out. You won't stop me. If wasn't death of old age or time distance that separated us, I'll find a way to fix it." She stroked his cheek. "I fixed your death once. I will fix again if have to and if I'm allowed to. Or mine. I just want to wipe that sorrow look from your face. I will always be with you."

"I know." He pulled her close to him, and they stayed like that for a little bit. "You are my Rose. I could always count on you."

They broke apart and Rose got out. Clara came inside and closed the doors. They dematerialized

Jack smiled and looked at Donna. "We have a place for you in Torchwood. I'll be pleased if you join the team. I'm sorry about your grandfather, Donna. We can't pay much, but I have contacts. He will have best treatment on Earth."

"Who told you about gramps?"

Jack didn't know what to say. * _That witch was right about it, then_*. " "Well, Donna, This is another adventure you kind of missed for being out. I'll be glad to fulfill you with details .Do you allow me to buy you a drink?"

"Well. I…" She looked the Time Lord Doctor unsure. She wanted more than everything travel with him again. Would he allow?

"Have a drink with them Donna." He smiled. "Actually I could join you guys for company"

" Oh. So you will finally allow me buy you that Drink Doctor?" Jack asked hopefully.

"I don't drink alcohol, Jack. But I can spare a few hours with my friends." He looked at Rose and the other Doctor. How about you? Joining us?"

Rose and the human Doctor looked each other. " Why not?"

Martha cheered. "I have a better idea. Everyone go to my house. We'll have beer and pizza, and talk more freely than at a bar. The others agreed and of they went.


End file.
